Disclaimer: Inuyasha – not mine

Forever

Chapter Two: Hope

Inuyasha was asleep, soundly, on a tree not far from where Kagome had rested the night. She found him, and stood, not wanting to wake him. Watching the hanyou, Kagome found herself smiling. Asleep, Inuyasha was so... peaceful, so harmless...

And then he awoke.

Immediately, he jumped from his place, and faced Kagome. She noticed relief cross his face before Inuyasha's expression became one of anger.

"Why'd you run away, Kagome?" he shouted, causing all creatures from around them to hide in fear of being caught by the frustrated hanyou.

"Well?" he asked again, irritated at Kagome's silence.

Kagome's bottom lip trembled, and tears threatened again to spill. She lowered her head, trying in vain to hide a tear that fell down her cheek.

"W-what are you doing?" Inuyasha stumbled back, almost fearing the tears that poured from Kagome's eyes.

Kagome looked up at the hanyou, a pained expression on her face. She turned and ran.

Standing frozen, Inuyasha watched Kagome vanish into the darkness of the trees. The sun was up now; she would get far. And he'd not follow her. Inuyasha understood her need to be alone. What he couldn't contemplate was why.

What had he done wrong?

well, for starters, you shouted at her...

But he hadn't meant to!

Sighing, Inuyasha sat down by the tree again, and gazed up at the sky as he leaned on the trunk and pondered...

Kagome

The well appeared before her, and Kagome rushed to its side. Catching her breath by the well, Kagome grasped the necklace of shards around her neck. Would she return? This seemed so foolish... after all, Kagome had run away to her time on countless occasions, for the same reason: Inuyasha. But her broken heart was always mended, and thus she returned. Only to break her heart again.

Letting the necklace drop around her neck again, Kagome climbed into the well. With a last glance at the past, she fell into the well.

It was a strange feeling, plunging to the depths of the magic portal through time. Though Kagome had gone through it countless times, she never quite got used to the feeling. The well's bottom reached her, but Kagome went through it. She plunged right through the earth, ripping the fabric that prevented her passage. And the all was blue. Small stars decorated the emptiness of time, yet a great knowledge, great grief was held in the center of the word. She was no longer falling, but flying up. The change was unnoticeable. A window appeared before her, and Kagome saw the well again. It was a dark window, but she knew it was her time.

As Kagome touched the window, she flew through the passage, and soon found herself weeping at the bottom of the well in her time. Why was she crying? For Inuyasha, again? Why hadn't she answered him? Was it because of his tone?

No. Kagome was accustomed to being treated that way by now. It had been her thoughts of him. She just wouldn't be able to face him now. Not without running away, not without weeping.

Keeping her head downcast, Kagome climbed out of the well slowly, and trotted wearily to her house.

Inuyasha

A day passed, then another. At length Inuyasha grew restless. He paced about Kaede's hut, wearing holes in the wooden floor. Kaede watched him solemnly from the corner, her face wrinkled up in worry.

"Ye should go after her, Inuyasha." She said, finally tired of Inuyasha's worried circling. "Feh." Came the reply. "Ye must go after her!" Kaede countered, standing up in anger. "If ye truly love Kagome..." "I don't love her." Inuyasha interrupted.

Sighing, Kaede seated herself again. "Very well, then..."

Fed up with the hag's comments on what he should and shouldn't do, Inuyasha stomped from the hut. He received strange glances from Miroku and Sango, who were playing with Kirara at the moment. But as soon as they saw Inuyasha's feigned anger, both nodded in understanding and continued to play.

"Feh." Said Inuyasha to this, and decided it was pointless to stay around the two. As a result of his decision, the hanyou headed off wherever his feet took him, mindlessly winding through the forest.

His first thought came to mind when Inuyasha found himself by the well.

Kagome...

Shaking his head from thoughts about the human fool, Inuyasha forced himself away from the well.

But he found himself back by the well again.

What's wrong with me??? Why can't I leave this wretched well, and go... where my heart desires? I don't feel bound to this... this useless pile of rock!

And then it struck him. This was where his heart desired to be. With Kagome. And what of Kikyo? Did he love her? Did he love at all?

Yes, he decided. He did love. He knew the pain of loving, and not knowing if he was loved in return. But it was not Kikyo that caused his pain. It was not Kikyo who made him wish to rip himself to shreds. It wasn't Kikyo's gaze he drowned in, and was happy doing so. It was Kagome's. But he had felt the same for Kikyo once, that long time ago. Which did he love more?

Kagome.

Inuyasha felt a cold emotion around Kikyo, almost envy, and almost hate. But he had a promise to fulfil for her. He owed Kikyo her life, his life. He'd lived, fifty years ago, but Kikyo had succumbed to Naraku's trick.

And for this he owed her a life. But Kagome... she was different. He owed her nothing, but wished, of his own free will, to give her the world. She deserved it of him. Inuyasha hid behind his feigned anger, he treated her like dirt even when it killed him. All to hide the fact that he wasn't worthy of her. Inuyasha knew he didn't deserve Kagome.

She had her own time. She had her own family. She had her own life.

But without Kagome, Inuyasha had no life. For Kagome was his life.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped into the depths of the well.

Kagome

Her mother had been acting strangely lately. Perhaps it was Kagome's awkward silence, her sudden wish to be alone constantly, her abnormal amount of time spent in her room...

Kagome's mother seemed to know every thought that passed through Kagome's head at a glance. So it was no surprise when there came a knock on her door.

"Come in..." Kagome responded. Her voice was muffled; Kagome was lying on her bed, face buried in a pillow.

The door creaked open, and her mother entered. She sat at the edge of Kagome's bed, and watched her daughter sadly.

"What do you want?" Kagome asked, not taking her face out of the pillow.

"It's Inuyasha, isn't it?" her mother asked, and Kagome sat up reluctantly. She nodded.

"This has happened before." said her mother.

"He... he..." Kagome felt tears burning her cheeks. Scorching, melting tears. Salty, corrosive, bitter tears. Sweet tears... Inuyasha's tears.

"Now now..." her mother stroked her daughter's back, calming Kagome. "You must forgive him, if you wish to ever be near him again..." she stood slowly, and backed towards the door. "But before you can forgive Inuyasha, you must be able to forgive yourself."

Kagome's mother closed the door silently, leaving Kagome to her own thoughts.

Forgive him... Forgive herself... Kagome could forgive Inuyasha. She wasn't even angry with him at all anymore. But as for forgiving herself... she felt the blame fall on her. Kagome knew she shouldn't have reacted so... Inuyasha's life was his own; he made his own decisions. And if he loved Kikyo, it was not Kagome's place to object.

It was her fault... She wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Ever.

A clatter outside made Kagome rush to her window. And as she opened the glass, her heart sank.

Inuyasha had come back to her time.

Gotta love that fluff... actually, I'm hoping there'll be more fluff soon... I love fluff. I'm trying to make this whole fanfic fluffy... hope it works out. I wonder what's going to happen next... Seriously, I've got no idea what's gonna happen here. Please review... I want to know what's wrong with my story, and what I should keep. It's my first, after all..... gets down on knees and begs pleeeeeeease review!